I've often thought that one of the most unfortunate casualties of the dietary trend away from fresh vegetables and toward processed foods has been our loss of interest in winter squash. What once was a staple of the American menu is now an exception. I'd wager that a poll of children in an urban school would find few who had ever been served acorn or butternut squash, two of the most common of the winter squashes.
Squash's appeal to our grandparents was pretty simple. Home gardeners could harvest it in late summer and keep it on hand for several months, simply by storing it in a cool, dry place. Squash provided American families with a fresh vegetable after the autumn frost, and no canning was required.
Squash also is a versatile vegetable. Acorn squash has a decidedly nuttier flavor than butternut and spaghetti squash is mild, but as a general rule winter squash will work well with both sweet and sharp flavors. It bakes well, works in casseroles, forms a flavorful basis for a soup, and can be fried or steamed.
The last time I wrote about winter squash I received a letter from a reader, Nan C. Scott, who shared her recipe for tuna-stuffed acorn squash, which she clipped years ago from a magazine. "It's different and good, and with a side-dish of sliced tomatoes, it makes a good lunch or light supper," she wrote.
The flavors of the tuna and squash complement each other, but chopped, cooked chicken would also work in this recipe.
To prepare sweet baked acorn squash, which may be used to entice a leery child to try squash, follow Nan's instructions up through the point of baking the halved squash. Then turn the squash over, fill each half with one tablespoon each of butter and brown sugar and return the squash to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the butter and sugar into the squash.
Tuna-Stuffed Acorn Squash
2 medium acorn squash
4 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
¤ cup onion, chopped small
¤ cup celery, chopped
1 6.5-ounce can tuna, drained
¤ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
¤ teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
Paprika
Pre-heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Cut washed squashes in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Rub cut edges with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter or margarine. Place cut-side down in a shallow baking pan that has been lined with foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until very tender. Remove the squash from the oven and scoop the pulp from the shells.
Mash the squash with 1 tablespoon melted butter and combine with the onions, celery, drained tuna and seasonings. Spoon the mixture back into the shells. Sprinkle lightly with dry bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons melted butter and a dash of paprika. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then remove and serve.
-- When she's not writing about foods and gardening, Gwyn Mellinger is teaching journalism at Baker University. You can send e-mail to her at mellinger@harvey.bakeru.edu. Her phone number is (785) 594-4554.
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